The revelation through Christian Science of the perfection of God and man ultimately demands the relinquishment of all belief in a power and presence unlike good. Faithful obedience to the First Commandment (Ex. 20:3), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," requires human thought to abandon its opinions based upon material sense testimony. This must be done before the Christlike understanding of infinite Love and its perfect manifestation can be fully achieved and enjoyed.
There is no reservation in Christian Science for anything less than complete acknowledgment of the operation of good in every avenue of thought. Mary Baker Eddy says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 118): "Human will must be subjugated. We cannot obey both God, good, and evil,—in other words, the material senses, false suggestions, self-will, selfish motives, and human policy." We must conform our views of business affairs, human relationships, home, health, finance, education, sport, politics, and international relationships to the law of perfect cause and perfect effect if we wish to demonstrate the invariable harmony of Soul in daily affairs.
The struggle to allow spiritual reality to become dominant over material belief goes on perpetually in human thought until erring will gives up its false notions in humble acceptance of the truth. The desire to retain just one small grievance or to cherish one resentment or criticism which seems humanly justifiable may attempt to elude detection, but wisdom will at length compel its excision.
